Death of Leonard Cohen
Leonard Cohen died on November 7, 2016, at the age of 82 at his home in Los Angeles; leukemia was a contributing cause. What Happened? According to his manager, Cohen's death was the result of a fall at his home on the night of November 7, and he subsequently died in his sleep. His death was announced on November 10, the same day as his funeral, which was held in Montreal. As was his wish, Cohen was laid to rest with a Jewish rite, in a simple pine casket, in a family plot. Aftermath Tributes were paid by numerous stars and political figures. Citizens and officials in Montreal, where he spent his early life, are considering honoring him by naming a street and other locations, including a library, after him. The Saturday after Cohen's death, which was also the Saturday after Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 United States presidential election, Saturday Night Live aired a cold open in which Kate McKinnon as Hillary Clinton sang selected verses from "Hallelujah" while playing the piano. The city of Montreal held a tribute concert to Cohen in December 2016, entitled "God is Alive, Magic Is Afoot" after a prose poem in his novel Beautiful Losers. It featured a number of musical performances and readings of Cohen's poetry. A memorial also took place in Los Angeles. Cohen was survived by his two children and three grandchildren. After Cohen's death, two tribute murals were created in the city the following summer. Artist Kevin Ledo painted a nine-story portrait of him near Cohen's home on Montreal's Plateau Mont-Royal, and a 20-storey fedora-clad likeness on Crescent Street, commissioned by the city of Montreal and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts with Montreal artist, Gene Pendon, and L.A. artist, El Mac has dominated the city's downtown. On November 6, 2017, the eve of the first anniversary of Cohen's death, the Cohen family organized a memorial concert entitled "Tower of Song" at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Fans and artists from all over the globe came together for an evening of spoken word and song that included performances by k.d. lang, Elvis Costello, Feist, Adam Cohen, Patrick Watson, Sting, Damien Rice, Courtney Love, The Lumineers, Lana Del Rey and more. The star-studded tribute also included Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, who appeared on stage to speak about their personal connection with Cohen's music. An interactive exhibit dedicated to the life and career of Leonard Cohen opened on November 9, 2017 at Montreal's contemporary art museum (MAC) entitled "Leonard Cohen: Une Brèche en Toute Chose / A Crack in Everything" and ran until April 9, 2018. The exhibit had been in the works for several years prior to Cohen's death, as part of the official program of Montreal's 375th anniversary celebrations and broke the museum's attendance record in its five-month run. The exhibit will embark on an international tour in 2019, opening in New York City at the Jewish Museum in April. A bronze statue of Cohen was unveiled in Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, on August 31st, 2019 Category:2016 Category:Deaths Category:Awful Moments in Music History Category:Events